Patching Things Up
by lost.rules815
Summary: Kate's son happens to reunite his mother and father. Will they fall back in love, or will old problems surface again? Post island. Jate. Disclaimer: I don't own Jack or Kate. Jackson is mine however. Please Review!
1. The Doctor

"Mama! Will said that I can come home with him from school tomorrow and play. You have to call his mom first, though." Six-year-old Jackson Austin bounded through the front door of his apartment.

"Hey, sweetie. How was your day at school?" His mother, Kate, asked.

"It was ok. So, are you gonna call his mom?" Jackson dropped his backpack and coat on the floor and looked up at his mother with his big, deep brown eyes. Kate smiled at him and nodded.

"Do you have the phone number?" She asked, picking up her son's coat and hanging it up in the hall closet.

"Uh-huh. It's right here." The boy nodded, unzipping the front of his backpack and pulling out a slip of paper. Kate took the paper, and saw a phone number scrawled in a blue crayon. She smiled to herself, and picked up the phone. Jackson stood by the counter, watching her as she dialed the number.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end of the line answered.

"Hi. Is this Mrs. Thompson?" Kate asked.

"Yes. May I ask who's calling?" The woman replied.

"This is Kate Austin. My son is friends with Will. He said something about them getting together to play." Kate explained.

"Oh, is your son Jackson?" Mrs. Thompson questioned.

"Yeah." Kate nodded, although she knew the woman couldn't see her.

"I was planning on having Jackson over this Saturday, but I'm afraid that I have to work that afternoon and my husband will be out of town. Will's going to stay with my brother until I get home later that night." Mrs. Thompson told Kate.

"Well…" Kate was about to tell the woman that the boys could play some other time, but when she glanced down at Jackson, she quickly changed her mind.

"Would it be too much trouble for me to come pick Will up from your brother's, and he could stay over here and play? I'm not working Saturday. Then you could come here to get him after you get off of work." Kate suggested.

"That would be wonderful! My brother is a workaholic, and I'm always telling him to take a few days off. Then when he finally does, I'm dropping my kid off at his house." Will's mother laughed.

"Ok, good. What time should I get Will?" Kate asked.

"Ummm, could you get him around ten? I'll be dropping him off at seven, but there's no need for you to pick him up that early." Mrs. Thompson responded.

"Sure. Where does your brother live?" Kate grabbed a pen and notepad from the counter, expecting directions.

"In Prospect Heights. Third house on the right." The woman answered.

"Prospect Heights?" Kate raised her eyebrows at the mention of the ritzy neighborhood.

"Yeah, he's a doctor." Mrs. Thompson laughed softly.

"Oh, I see." Kate smiled.

"Jack practically lives at that hospital. He's not married, so no one's ever at his house. You should see the inside of it!" Mrs. Thompson exclaimed.

"What's it like?" Kate asked.

"Well, his kitchen…" The woman launched into a detailed description of the messy and unkempt condition of her brother's house. Kate laughed.

"Sounds interesting." She joked.

"Yeah, sometimes I come over and just clean for him." Will's mother sighed.

"Well, I'll plan on picking Will up at about ten, Mrs. Thompson." Kate wrapped up the phone call. She wasn't a big fan of talking too long on the phone.

"Ok, thanks a bunch. Oh, and please call me Janet." The woman added.

"Alright. 'Bye." Kate hung up and smiled down at Jackson. The boy's eyes widened and he gave a grin, revealing gaps from missing teeth.

"Will gets to come here?" Jackson exclaimed, jumping up and down.

"Yeah. Saturday." Kate nodded.

"When's that?" Her son squinted, trying to think.

"Not tomorrow, but the next day." Kate replied.

"Oh, boy!" Jackson shouted, and threw his arms around his mom. Kate smiled, and kissed the top of his head, where a mess of shaggy brown hair lay.  
Jackson ran off to his room to go play with his toys.

Kate sat on the couch, and turned on the TV. She tried watching some action-packed movie that was on, but she found herself thinking about the phone conversation. Something that Janet had said bothered Kate, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it. _Oh well, it's probably nothing._ Kate thought, shrugging it off.


	2. Him?

Saturday morning rolled around, and Kate was awakened by someone jumping onto her bed.

"C'mon, Mama! It's time to go get Will!" Jackson bounced up and down on the bed.

"Ok, ok. I'm up." Kate mumbled, turning over and glancing at her clock.

"Jackson, sweetie, it's only seven-thirty." She groaned and shook her head.

"I know. We gotta get ready still." Jackson smiled, proud of the fact that he was able to realize this by himself.

"But…" Kate's voice trailed off as she saw the look on her son's face.

"Ok, go get dressed." She finished. Jackson grinned and scurried off down the hall. Kate rubbed her eyes, rolled out of bed, and shuffled into the bathroom. She was ready to go thirty minutes later.

"Jackson, do you want some breakfast?" Kate asked as she walked into the kitchen. Jackson, who stood by the front door, shook his head.

"Will's gonna be waiting on us." He complained.

"No, sweetie. We still have two hours." Kate explained.

"Oh, ok." Jackson sighed.

"So, are you hungry?" Kate asked again.

"Yeah." Her son nodded, rubbing his stomach. Kate smiled, and took out two boxes of cereal from the pantry.

"Lucky Charms or Fruit Loops?" She held out the boxes.

"Lucky Charms." Jackson pointed. Kate poured him a bowl, added milk, and sat it on the table. Jackson sat and began eating, while Kate made herself some toast.

After they were done eating, and had brushed their teeth, Jackson grabbed his coat and walked to the door.

"Now we can go, right?" He asked. Kate sighed, smiling.

"I guess we can be a little early." She nodded, glancing at her watch. It read: 8:45. 'A little early.' Kate thought, shaking her head. Jackson bounded at the door and walked down the hallway to the elevator. Kate locked her door behind her, and they took the elevator downstairs to the first floor.

Once they had reached their car, Kate put Jackson in his booster seat, and drove out of the parking lot.

They reached the address that Janet had given at about nine-fifteen. Kate parked in front of the huge house and helped Jackson out of the backseat.

"Is this where Will lives?!" Jackson's eyes were wide as he took in the view of the house.

"No, sweetie. This is where his uncle lives." Kate explained, taking her son's hand and walking up the sidewalk to the front door.

She rang the doorbell, hearing the chimes ring throughout the whole house. Footsteps approached the door slowly, and Kate heard a child's voice say something. The door opened.

Kate looked up from Jackson and found herself face-to-face with the one man on earth she had never dreamed of seeing again.


	3. Reunited

"Kate?" The man's mouth hung open in shock.

"Jack." Kate whispered.

"You're…here?" Jack's voice sounded unbelieving.

"I'm here." Kate nodded, her voice shaking.

"Is this your son? Will's friend?" Jack looked down at Jackson with a small smile.

"Yeah. His name's Jackson." She told Jack, meeting his eyes. Jack started to say something, but seeing the two boys, told them to go on inside. Jackson glanced at Kate, who nodded her permission. Will then led his friend inside, chattering about something or another.

"Is he…mine?" Jack cleared his throat. Kate slowly nodded.

"Jack…son. Jack's son." Kate said quietly. Jack's eyes widened and Kate would have sworn that she saw a tear escape. He quickly wiped it away.

"Wow." He murmured, his voce cracking with emotion. They were both silent for a moment, before Jack remembered his manners.

"Oh, umm, you wanna come in?" He stepped back and motioned inside the house. Kate nodded and followed Jack inside.

"Nice place." She commented, smiling to herself when she remembered Janet's stories.

"Well, yeah. I guess." Jack shrugged, leading Kate into the living room. He sat in a chair, and Kate took a seat on the couch.

"So, how've you been?" Jack asked, pulling his chair around so that he faced Kate.

"Ok." Kate replied simply. "You?"

"Been working at the hospital a lot." He sighed.

"I thought you lived in L.A. I would've never guessed that you would move here to Riverside." Kate commented.

"Yeah, I got a job offer at the hospital here and decided to take it. I wanted to be away from some painful memories…" Jack trailed off, not meeting Kate's eyes.

"So, um, you have a sister. Besides Claire, I mean." Kate changed the subject after a moment.

"Janet? Yeah, she's my _other_ half-sister. She and her husband helped me get settled in after I moved." Jack nodded.

"Well, she seemed nice on the-" Kate began, but was interrupted by Jack.

"Kate, what happened between us?" He asked suddenly, scooting his chair closer to the couch.

"Sorry?" Kate said, just to stall her answer.

"Why did things turn out like they are? What happened?" Jack repeated, looking at Kate closely. Kate closed her eyes and thought back to a time, a little more than six years before.


	4. Flashback

Six years and ten months earlier:

"We're saved! We're saved!" Charlie exclaimed, waking Kate from her sleep. She glanced next to her in the small tent, and saw Jack, his arm draped across her. She smiled slightly, rubbing her hand gently over his forehead where lines of worry, stress, and responsibility had etched themselves. Jack stirred, mumbling something incoherently, and slowly opened his eyes.

"Hey." He grinned when he saw Kate.

"Hey." She whispered, as their lips met.

"The rescue boat is here!" Claire's voice shouted from outside on the beach. Kate and Jack suddenly pulled back, looking at each other. Jack stood and pulled on his pants and t-shirt as quickly as he could.

"Jack." Kate's eyes were wide as she thought of what a rescue party meant for her. Jack turned and looked at her, worry showing in his eyes.

"Don't worry, Kate. I won't let anything happen to you." He promised. Kate felt a little better as she got dressed in her jeans and tank-top.

The two of them stumbled out of the shelter, no one else on the beach noticing that they both came out of the same tent.

"You see that! We're going home!" Charlie approached them, grabbing Jack by the shoulders and swinging him around. Jack chuckled at his friend, but suddenly felt a wave of sadness wash over him when he glanced at Kate.

When the rescue boat arrived, there was a Marshal on board.

"Kathryn Austin?" He called out, as the survivors walked onto the boat.

"Right here." Kate called out weakly, and Jack gripped her hand tightly.

"If you'll come with me." He motioned a door at the back of the room. Jack started to follow, but the Marshal held up a hand.

"Sorry, sir. You'll have to wait over there." He pointed to the group of survivors, who were all talking amongst themselves with big grins, not even realizing Kate's dilemma. Jack met Kate's eyes with a weak grin, giving her hand one last squeeze, and walked away.

The man led Kate into the empty room and closed the door behind her.

"Kathryn-" He began.

"Kate. It's Kate." Kate corrected.

"Ok, Kate. The government has officially decided that your term on the island was enough punishment for the crime you committed." The man announced. Kate's eyes widened for a second, and hope filled her heart.

"But," The Marshal continued. _But._ That one little word that could either cause so much happiness and joy, or so much pain and sorrow. That one little word could open doors, or slam them shut right in front of your face.

"But, you must not have contact with any of the other survivors who know what you did. No contact whatsoever. I mean none." The man ordered. Kate's mouth flew open.

"No phone calls, no email, no visits, nothing. If we find out that you have done any of these things, it'll be prison for you. Got it?" The Marshal glared at Kate.

"Why?" She managed to croak out.

"It's a long story. Basically, since we're letting you off sorta easy, the big guys in D.C. don't want anyone to know about it." The man shrugged.

"For how long?" She asked, praying that the answer wouldn't be 'forever.'

"Five years." The Marshal answered. Kate breathed a short sigh of relief.

"And, you can't tell anyone what I just told you. They have to think that you are gonna come with me, do your time, and go on with your life. Understand?" He added. Kate felt her heart drop again. 'What will I tell Jack? Five whole years?' She thought.

"Jack." Kate whispered to herself, tears overwhelming her.

"He the guy holding your hand earlier?" The Marshal asked. He received no answer as Kate cried softly.

"You're gonna have to let him go. Hope that he's still waiting on you in five years." The man's voice suddenly sounded softer, like he felt sorry for Kate but knew he couldn't do anything about the problem.

"Now, if you'll just sign here, miss." He handed Kate a pen and pointed to an official-looking document. Kate reluctantly did as she was told; knowing that those three words she signed would probably ruin her life forever.


	5. Together, Forever

"Kate?" Jack waved a hand in front of Kate's face, snapping her out of the trance.

"What? Oh…yeah." She shook her head, clearing her mind.

"I asked you what happened between us. Why didn't I hear from you ever again?" Hurt showed in Jack's voice, as well as his eyes. Kate took a deep breath, and told Jack about the whole conversation with the Marshal.

"So after the five years were up, you just didn't think about me anymore?" Jack asked, a sad look on his face.

"Oh, no, Jack. I thought about you pretty much every day of my life since we left the island. After five years, I tried finding you in L.A. You weren't listed there, so I tried the hospital for information. They said you had moved, but they wouldn't tell where. I searched for you in every city surrounding L.A. I even tried calling Claire, but she never answered. When I couldn't find you anywhere, I moved here to Riverside, and just sorta gave up." Kate explained in a hurry. Jack's eyes brightened a bit at the news that Kate had looked for him.

"And Jackson, he's from that last night on the island?" Jack said softly, the corners of his mouth twitching.

"Yeah." Kate nodded, a blush creeping to her face as she thought about that night.

"You're not…married, are you?" Jack suddenly exclaimed.

"No. I never found another man that I loved as much as…" Kate blurted out, stopping herself before she said Jack's name. He smiled at her, and reached his hand up to her face.

"Kate, I-" Jack whispered, but was interrupted by Will's voice.

"Uncle Jack. Can Jackson stay here with us? We wanted to play Playstation." Will pleaded, glancing at Kate with a desperate look. Jack removed his hand from Kate's face quickly, and cleared his throat.

"Well, that's up to Kate." Jack turned to look at Kate. "You wanna stay here? I can fix us some lunch." He suggested.

"I'd like that." Kate smiled.

"Yes!" Jackson exclaimed, giving Will a high-five. The two boys ran off, leaving Jack and Kate alone again.

"Does Jackson know about his dad…I mean, me?" Jack asked, looking at Kate.

"He's asked about you a lot lately. I've told him that you were waiting on us, and one day we'd all be together when I found you. I never dreamed that I'd actually find you here in Riverside." Kate replied.

"Are you gonna tell him that I'm his dad?" Jack swallowed hard, still touched by the fact that he was a father.

"Yeah. I guess I will, one day." Kate nodded.

"One day? As in one day soon, or one day when I'm dead?" Jack raised his eyebrows. Kate hit him in the shoulder.

"Duh, Jack. What do you think?" She laughed softly. Jack shrugged.

"I dunno. That's why I asked." He grinned. Kate almost melted when she saw him smile. On the island, she used to try and see how many times in a day she could get him to smile, or better yet, laugh. It became a secret contest. 

"Soon, Jack. Real soon." Kate said quietly. Jack leaned forward, gently touching his lips to Kate's. As soon as they met, it was like a switch was turned on. They had both been longing for this for so long. Like a parched throat thirsts for water. Or a drowning person begs for air.

Kate kissed him back, opening her mouth slightly. Jack slipped his tongue inside, and deepened the kiss. Kate wrapped her arms around Jack's neck, pulling him closer. Jack had just started to move onto the couch, when they heard a small voice.

"Mama?" Jackson said, staring at Jack and Kate with wide eyes. They separated, both breathing hard.

"Mama, do you know him?" Jackson asked, glancing over at Jack.

"Yeah, Jackson. This is your dad, Jack." She smiled at her son. Jackson's mouth turned into the biggest smile Kate had ever seen.

"Daddy?" Jackson walked toward Jack slowly.

"Hey, Jackson." Jack's voice was thick with emotion as he hugged the little boy tightly.

"You found him, Mama. Now we're all gonna be together, right?" Jackson looked at his parents with a questioning look.

"Jackson, sweetie, I-" Kate sighed, but was interrupted by Jack.

"Yeah, son. We're gonna be together now." Jack smiled at Kate. "Forever." He whispered.


End file.
